By Monique Mattiace
Originally published 08:16 a.m., August 4, 2009
Updated 06:55 p.m., August 4, 2009
JENSEN BEACH — Martin County residents can learn more about a proposed $1.83 million Jensen Beach mooring facility during a public meeting Wednesday.
The facility would be a 44.5-acre area south of the Jensen Beach Causeway and west of the Intracoastal Waterway in the Indian River Lagoon. The field, which will take six to eight months to construct, will house a little more than 60 buoys for boats to tie up to and will be funded through state and federal grants.
A mooring field is an organized area where mooring buoys are installed.
A mooring buoy is a buoy attached to the river bottom by a chain or cable where it has the least amount of interference with the river bottom, said Rob Ranieri, outreach coordinator with The Firefly Group, a public relations working on community outreach for this project.
Instead of a boat dropping an anchor, which can damage the sea bottom floor, it would attach to a buoy, Ranieri said.
“The area we are looking at has a lot of boats that are anchored with negative impacts. Some of these boats are anchoring on sea grass fields,” he said. “Some boats are illegally discharging their waste.”
The mooring field also would be monitored by a harbor master who will monitor the area 24 hours a day.
“Part of the benefit to the field is the ability to enforce the rules,” Ranieri said.
To tie up to a mooring field buoy, a fee will be assessed for however long the boater wants to be there.
“We want to make it so people can enjoy it temporarily or make it a vacation destination off of their boat,” Ranieri said.
The only other mooring facility on the Treasure Coast is Stuart’s new Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage, which has 69 mooring buoys. It’s located just west of the Old Roosevelt Bridge in the St. Lucie River.
The meeting Wednesday will include a presentation by Coastal Systems International, the company which will be building the field if the proposal passes the County Commission. People can learn the benefits of moorings, the project overview and can take part in a public comment and question session.
If You Go:
What: Informational meeting on the proposed Jensen Beach Mooring facility
When: Wednesday 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Jensen Beach Chamber in the community room – 1900 Ricou Terrace
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